WCPO TV weatherman Steve Raleigh faces calls to be fired over wild video showing his son in violent parking lot confrontation with elderly couple
Ohio’s most famous weatherman has deleted his social media accounts and disappeared from the screen after he was filmed during an incident that left an elderly couple bleeding and unconscious on the asphalt.
Veteran WCPO weatherman Steve Raleigh was with their sons Kyle and Carter when their Cadillac Escalade collided with a Ford F-150 after they failed to yield to oncoming traffic.
Moments later, the driver of the Ford, Douglas Morrow, 79, lay on the ground next to his wife Lois, 76, who had suffered a fractured skull, a brain hemorrhage and a detached retina.
The Cadillac is owned by the weatherman’s father-in-law, former Hamilton County sheriff and attorney Simon L Leis, Jr. Pressure is mounting on Cincinnati police to explain why no arrests have been made since the June 22 incident, which also involved Red Sox legend Kevin Youkilis.
“These were local people and I believe they are above the law,” the couple’s daughter, Stacey Morrow-Stickrod, wrote in a video. “I believe 100 percent that one more punch would have killed her.”
Veteran WCPO weatherman Steve Raleigh has deleted his social media pages after footage surfaced of his involvement in a road rage incident
Lois Morrow, 76, was left unconscious with a fractured skull, a brain hemorrhage and a detached retina after an incident with Raleigh’s family at a Cincinnati car lot
Carter, 28, was allegedly driving his grandfather’s car when it struck the Morrows’ car in the parking lot of the Montgomery Inn Boathouse on Riverside Drive.
Stacey said the famous family became furious when her father decided to call the police because he smelled alcohol and suspected they had been drinking.
“This got people thinking and led to my brother and both parents being attacked,” she wrote.
‘My mother took the worst blows that night. She was in the UC hospital for a few days and is still receiving treatment.
‘She was knocked unconscious and had a concussion, a fractured skull, a brain bleed, a contusion on the back of her head that was stapled shut and the lens in her eye was loose and had to be replaced. She had extensive cuts and bruising on her arms and legs.
“My father also suffered a concussion and was knocked unconscious. I’m not going to say who’s responsible until they’re arrested and charged because I don’t want to hurt the case.
‘I want all witnesses to come forward and for videos to be made. There were a lot of witnesses.’
Youkilis took to Facebook to deny rumors that he had been with the Raleighs the night he was recognized in the footage, insisting he had stumbled upon the incident while in town to broadcast a Red Sox-Reds game.
The veteran weatherman was seen in the video, which shows Lois and her 79-year-old husband Douglas unconscious and bleeding as their son tended to them
Raleigh was confronted in the video by Red Sox legend Kevin Youkilis, who had eaten at the same restaurant before the car crash that caused the incident
Youkilis admitted he “went a little crazy after what I saw and used colorful language”
According to their daughter, Douglas and Lois were treated at UC Hospital for their injuries
a Gofundme An appeal has been launched to help the couple who have been married for 50 years
“Unfortunately I was a little too late and I saw a series of terrible events take place,” he explains.
‘After what I saw, I wanted to help the two people on the ground and prevent others from getting hurt.
‘I snapped after seeing what I saw and used colorful language in the video.’
The grainy footage shows a woman repeatedly shouting “Stop!” before Raleigh Snr pushes someone away.
“Someone please call 911,” the woman pleads as the camera pans over the 79-year-old man holding his head.
His unconscious wife comes into view as a man’s voice screams, “That’s absolutely ridiculous.”
A man believed to be Steve Raleigh is then seen standing above the floored pensioner saying: ‘Kevin, listen to me, f*** that, f*** that.’
Youkilis leans over Lois to check her condition, as another voice screams, “Dead, are you serious, he hit a fucking woman. She’s bleeding.”
“You’re a disgrace to the f***ing Red Sox brand,” someone shouts.
“Go back to Boston.”
In an update on Facebook, Stacy thanked Youkilis for intervening on behalf of her parents.
“There were at least 50 people in the parking lot when this happened as the restaurant was about to close,” she wrote. “Only one person, Kevin Youkilis, saved my mother and stopped this attack.
“He was definitely her guardian angel that night. I believe he was there with them, but he was willing to fight for her!”
WCPO lists one of its core values as “holding the powerful accountable, no matter where it takes us.”
On July 12, WCPO Vice President and General Manager Jeff Brogan said the station was “aware of the incident involving Steve Raleigh’s family.”
“The investigation is ongoing and at this time no charges have been filed against anyone,” he added. a statement.
“Steve shared his side of the incident with our leadership. His story is consistent with the police report, which does not name him, and with what we saw on video.
“The video does not show the incident from start to finish. We will continue to monitor official findings.”
Raleigh, pictured with wife Julie Leis and sons Kyle (left) and Carter (right)
The video shows him arguing with Youkilis and urging him to ‘go to hell’
Lois was pictured unconscious and bleeding from her head in the parking lot of the Montgomery Inn Boathouse, but the restaurant has said its security cameras were turned off at the time
However, thousands of people left comments on the Facebook post criticizing the station for its response, with many even calling for Raleigh to be fired.
“I guess there are a few of us who are above the law,” wrote one. “I have a different view of Steve Raleigh now. I’m done with WCPO!”
‘It doesn’t matter if we didn’t see the whole video. What we saw was enough!!!’ added another. ‘It was one of the most disturbing things I’ve seen in a long time!!’
The Cincinnati Police Department report states that a “man named Carter pushed another parent” and that police suspect the suspect was under the influence of alcohol.
A manager at The Boathouse said City Beat that the restaurant has no security footage of the parking lot because the cameras were not working at the time.
The names of the two suspects and the five victims were omitted from the incident report. No arrests have been made.
“It was a traffic collision that turned into an assault, and our officers were called to the scene,” CPD Lt. Jonathan Cunningham told the website.
“Our investigators are currently investigating the case.”